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The Second British Empire
History up to 2032 Up until the beginning of the Petroleum wars in 2032, the British government had become progressively less trusted and less popular after years of austerity, scandal and mismanagement. Public confidence was at an all time low, and the continued media frenzy over the continuing rift between the 'left' and 'right' of the political classes was only fermenting further public discontent. The situation was maintained for some time from the 2020s by a combination of media distraction, propaganda, wars of distraction and increasingly tightened laws on privacy, thought and freedom of information and speech. Public rights long held in high regard were continually eroded by an entrenched political class that saw itself as under siege - yet was perceived by all others as out of touch with the people it purported to represent and only acted in a self serving manner. As natural disasters and the continued erosion of fundamental infrastructure such as the Police, NHS and education continued to batter the British people, the number of disenfranchised only grew. Stirred by a powerful media eager for stories to further their own ends, the British public began a regular series of riots, marches and political protests. Though demonized by the political elite and the media, the regular riots crippled the nations economy as business fled the anger of the mobs. Stunned by the public response, the Government continued to strip the nation of its assets in an effort to fund protection for themselves and those business interests seen as 'keystones'. The Keystone Protection Act of 2030 came into force shortly after, finally dismantling the NHS to safeguard the interests of larger London based corporations. This was the final straw for many Britons whose long standing emnity of parliamentary privilege and cronyism only led to greater anger and a demand for the government to disband to a new general election. The infamous election of 2030 was seen as a travesty of democracy. The weakened police force was perceived as unable to properly maintain order or safety in the face of potential rioters and demonstrators and voting stations were made completely unavailable - leaving only online voting as a means for voters to express their view. Something that was not an option for thousands stranded in areas with little or no internet connection or insufficiently informed to realise the new system had come into effect. Worse, due to a glitch in the system, thousands of online votes were lost as data streams struggled to cope. To the media's delight, the worst affect areas were ones perceived most likely not to vote the incumbent government back into power. With the votes in, and the glitch not discovered until significantly after, the incumbent government was voted back into power by a landslide result, despite the general perception among the public that no one had voted for them. This resulted in mass riots across the country and the immediate call within Scotland to reopen the referendum for independence. In response, the army was drafted in to support the police, resulting in the massacre at Leicester Square late in 2030. The Fall of Old Democracy 2030 - 2038 Weak and despised, the British government was further devastated by the outbreak of the Petroleum Wars in 2032. As prices spiralled out of control and constant wars and media spin added further and further tension, it seemed likely the country would split apart entirely. Though the Scottish referendum had been banned Scotland had seceeded anyway with the legal backing of the European Federation. However it remained the British governments responsibility to defend it. When the Shetland isles were invaded by Russian forces briefly, both the Scottish and British peoples had had enough. The old elite were thrown out of parliament, not merely a call of no confidence, but an official disbanding of the British government sanctioned by the Royal family and with popular demand. Furious, tired and bitter, the following new election saw a massive rise in parties from all kinds of political extremes. Many were beyond contemptible and unpalatable even to the desperation people of the British public. One however began a sweep to power with a call to return to traditional values and an appeal to the British spirit. Modelling itself on the ideals of Empire from the early 1950s, the British Imperialist party swept to victory, hurriedly making itself a force to be reckoned with. By 2038, the Imperialists had claimed a potent majority and rapidly began instituing a sense of pride and civic duty - often at the cost of political correctness, feminist freedom and tolerance of foreigners. IpSoS and the invasion of Barbados 2039 At the height of the Petroleum wars, the corporate nation of IpSoS invaded the island nation of Barbados. Desperately poor, the Barbardos armed forces were swept aside by their technologically superior foe. With nowhere else to turn, the president of Barbardos came to the British Prime Minister with an interesting offer; In exchange for their help in freeing the island, he would arrange for Barbados to rejoin the British Empire. Though hardly required for strategic or economic purposes, this offer appealed to the Imperial sense of the new political movements and with some negotiation, an agreement was reached. The battle of Barbados secured a new legacy as IpSoS was swept aside by the Royal Navy and the British Army. The end of 2039 marked the official beginning and declaration of a 2nd British Empire. After so many years of warfare and economic strife, the illusion of prosperity and purpose that this new declaration gave to other former colonies within the Commonwealth suddenly seemed very appealling. With little where else to turn that did not face economic or military ruin dozens more offers came into the fledging Imperialist government. To the surprise and alarm of many other global powers, many of these offers were accepted and the British government began a campaign of employment for hundreds of disenfranchised workers to go to the newly reacquired colonies and repair the damage done by years of warfare within the Petroleum conflicts. Though Britain was itself far from unscarred by the conflicts, the sheer momentum and drive of the new party movements gave a convincing illusion of economic strength. This proved enough to convince many, forcing them to strive for hopes and dreams that initially didnt exist - only for their efforts to start to bring about the very thing the Imperialists were claiming to have achieved in the first place. The Sedis Age Post 2039 The rise of the Imperialist party proved to be extremely well timed to coincide with the end of the Petroleum wars and the apparent solution to many of the worlds economic and energy woes. With this turn of events and the hatred of many of the more established parties, the Imperialists have enjoyed almost total popular control for almost 2 decades since the end of the Petroleum conflicts. This has allowed them to reshape the nation continually into a strange echo of the idealised 1950s Britain, with the reformation of the BBC into the BINN and the ruthless crackdown on the power of the media only supporting this. By the 2050s, the power of the Imperialists is starting to wane as the initial wave of popular support stars to fade. The old scandals and political squabbles resurface, and although the Imperialists keep a strong hold on the civic identity of the nation, cracks are starting to open.